Bill Murray shared which Saturday Night Live host gave such an incredible performance that he didn’t feel worthy to share the stage with him by the end of the show.
“There’s only one that stands above all others,” Murray said on the newest episode of New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce. “It was Ray Charles.” Murray was a cast member from 1977 to 1980. Charles hosted the show in November 1977.
Murray said Charles had such a great hosting run on the show that he “completely buries every other entertainer I’ve ever met or worked with or read about.”
He explained, “Ray Charles knew all his lines cold. Ray Charles came in and played solo, he played with The Raelettes, he played with his scepter and he played with the Saturday Night Live orchestra. And he may have played with his quintet as well. And he killed and murdered every single one of [his performances].”
Murray said he was so blown away that he didn’t feel worthy of sharing the stage with the legendary crooner by the end of the show. “At the end of that show, they play that song, they play the song, and saxophones playing and you’re like ‘Hey man I had a great week.’ You’re up there on the stage and you’re waving at people—I did not want to stand on that stage. I had no business being on that stage with Ray Charles.”
Murray also defended the current SNL cast during his appearance on New Heights, which he said is just as good as when he was there nearly 50 years ago. “People always give me a hard time about, ‘Oh, the original show was so great and it’s lousy now,’” Murray said. “And I say, ‘No, it’s not.’ The show that’s on now, they do stuff that’s just as good as anybody ever did, all the time.”
As for his own future with the show, he revealed that he “certainly” plans to return for its 50th season—and even teased that he wants to host an episode for the first time since 1999.
“I told ’em I’d like to host one this year,” he said on the podcast, “So maybe if I get organized. I think I did it two other times when I was there. I’d like to try it one more time. It might be the last time to try it.”
The Kelce brothers asked if Murray had any material planned for when he returns, after which Murray quipped in response that he’d be lucky to get through security despite “breezing through the place” back in the day as a cast member. “When I go back, the guys down at the desk say, ‘Do you have a photo ID sir?’” he joked.
